Chicago Bulls: Summer League Roster, Key Storylines

The Las Vegas Summer League is set to begin on Friday, July 13, and the Chicago Bulls will be one of the 24 teams in attendance. 

This set of five games is an opportunity for young players to prove themselves at a slightly-higher level than they're used to playing. Young NBA players and incoming rookies will be joining forces with foreign prospects as they all attempt to establish some name recognition. 

Some players are looking to keep their spots on the Bulls' squad while carving out bigger roles. Others are trying to just make the team and avoid the D-League or Europe. 

Read on for a complete breakdown and individual predictions. 

Schedule

Tuesday, July 17 at 10:00 p.m. ET against the Boston Celtics

Wednesday, July 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET against the Houston Rockets

Friday, July 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET against the Golden State Warriors

Saturday, July 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET against the Los Angeles Clippers

Sunday, July 22 at 4:00 p.m. ET against the Milwaukee Bucks

Jimmy Butler

Last Played With: Chicago Bulls

Position: SG/SF

Experience: 1 year

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 2.6 points, 0.3 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 0.1 blocks, 0.3 steals

Jimmy Butler's literal rags to riches continues in year two now as he looks to make the Chicago Bulls' roster once more, still just a few years removed from being homeless. 

The swingman has the ideal set for his position and his 6'6" frame lends itself well to either position included in the "swingman" category. 

He's primarily a defender at this point in his career and can capably slow point guards, shooting guards and small forwards. 

Look for Butler to make the roster once more and carve out a slightly larger role than the one he filled during his rookie season out of Marquette. 

Olek Czyz

Last Played With: Nevada

Position: SF/PF

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.7 steals

Olek Czyz's journey continues. We've already had stops at Duke and Nevada, so now it's time for Las Vegas and the Chicago Bulls' Summer League roster. 

Even though he doesn't have any true vowels in his last name, the combo-forward's physical skills have allowed him to get by up to this point in his basketball career. Czyz is one of those athletes who will always keep on fighting, no matter how dire the situation seems. 

That bodes well for his Summer League prospects as he's going to give it his all on every possession, even if his perimeter shooting isn't up to par. 

Czyz might have a solid showing, but he won't perform well enough to make the real roster. 

Justin Johnson

Last Played With: Dakota Kings

Position: PG/SG

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.1 blocks

A two-time Player of the Year in the GSAC while he was playing at Concordia, Justin Johnson hasn't quite made it to the NBA, although he's now spent four seasons in the D-League. 

Johnson is much more of a shooting guard than a point guard, but his 6'2" frame doesn't give him enough size to make it at the bigger position. That's unfortunate, because his quickness and scoring skills would make him a solid option if he could actually see over defenders. 

Johnson's presence in Summer League is a nice story because not too many former NAIA players get a chance at this level. However, it won't be too long before he's headed back to the D-League. 

Demetri McCamey

Last Played With: Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K.

Position: PG

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 8.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.0 blocks

Demetri McCamey went undrafted in 2011 and ended up spending the lockout playing abroad for a team that I will now just call Mersin in Turkey. 

Now, he'll be participating in the first Summer League of his career and attempting to make it to the Chicago Bulls' roster with a strong showing.

That won't happen and he'll be headed back overseas or to the D-League as too many other young guards are competing for spots and he's not a combo guard who can play shooting guard. 

Sometimes out of shape and unwilling to work hard, Meechi's shooting ability simply won't be able to make up for his lack of elite athleticism. 

Ramone Moore

Last Played With: Temple

Position: SG/SF

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks

Undersized as a shooting guard and even more undersized if he attempts to play small forward at the NBA level, Ramone Moore's 6'4" frame is the biggest thing working against him after a fantastic senior season for the Temple Owls.

Moore does have a 6'9" wingspan, but that's still not enough to help him overcome the size deficit, one that will keep him off the Chicago Bulls' real roster after Summer League is over.

The shooting guard is quick, explosive and aggressive, getting to the free-throw line early and often with his constant drives to the wings. He does turn the ball over a lot though, particularly when driving to the left side of the court.

Playing under control is necessary for his long-term success, even if he's driven to constantly attack and try to make an impact during this set of games. 

Leon Powe

Last Played With: Memphis Grizzlies

Position: PF

Experience: 5 years

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks

Leon Powe is going to be one of the most experienced players in all of Summer League, seeing as he's 28 years old and has already spent five seasons at the NBA level. 

Although he'll most likely never become a true contributor in The Association, Powe does have the talent to make the Chicago Bulls roster and play for his fourth different team in the big leagues. 

The 6'8" power forward is good at just about two things: drawing fouls on both ends of the court and doing the fouling himself. 

Powe's experience will help him out here, but he doesn't have the same high ceiling as some of his counterparts on this team. 

Chase Simon

Last Played With: Detroit

Position: SG

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.1 steals

A big and physical 6'5" shooting guard, Chase Simon has the size necessary to make it at the next level after going undrafted, but he doesn't have the skill. 

While at Detroit, Simon was always a turnover-prone guard, averaging 2.7 turnovers per game and he added to the damage by shooting under 40 percent from the field. 

Unless Simon can become way more efficient and choose his shots wisely, he's going to shoot 37 percent from the field and lean far too heavily on his outside shot. 

Henry Sims

Last Played With: Georgetown

Position: C

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 11.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 blocks, 0.6 steals

Don't be fooled by looking at just the previous team and the position. Henry Sims isn't on the level of the rest of the legendary Georgetown centers. He isn't Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Roy Hibbert or Greg Monroe. 

However, Sims does have enough talent that he could make the roster, but only if the Chicago Bulls elect to let Omer Asik walk and join the Houston Rockets. 

He's a true seven-footer with great passing skills, as you might expect from a former Hoya. A hard-worker who plays smart basketball, Sims is a work in progress in pretty much all facets of the game. 

The big man has a high ceiling, but he's got a lot of work to do if he's going to become anything more than just a shot-blocker. 

Jamie Skeen

Last Played With: Ironi Ashkelon

Position: PF

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 9.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks

After helping to lead VCU's improbable run through March Madness, Jamie Skeen went undrafted in 2011 and has since played for ASVEL Basket in France and Ironi Ashkelon in the Israeli Super League. 

Once just a spot-up shooter, Skeen has become a nice player wherever he lines up on the offensive end of the court. He has a nice stroke from the outside and his post moves are continuously improving. 

Tough and experienced, Skeen is a player who I expect to surprise quite a few people during Summer League. Expect at least a couple double-doubles as he battles his way towards a roster spot just outside of the rotation on the Chicago Bulls' roster. 

Jermaine Taylor

Last Played With: Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Position: SG

Experience: 2 years

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 14.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, 0.5 steals

Jermaine Taylor most recently played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but he's actually played two seasons in the NBA and started 12 games during his time with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. 

A 6'4" shooting guard without much of a stroke from the outside, Taylor is also notoriously turnover-prone. He can create his own shot well, but usually tends to negate that with poor shot selection. 

Taylor thinks of himself as a scorer and he's usually able to put points on the board. The problem is that they often come with some negatives, whether it's turnovers or the excessive missed shots. 

Unless his defense has improved markedly since we last saw him, it's to the D-League once more for this young guard. 

Marquis Teague

Last Played With: Kentucky

Position: PG

Experience: Rookie

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.9 steals

Marquis Teague improved dramatically during the end of the regular season and throughout the Kentucky Wildcats' postseason run. He made better decisions consistently while showing a knack for scoring the ball at the rim. 

Now, he gets a chance to continue his improvement after the Chicago Bulls deemed him worthy of the No. 29 pick of the 2012 NBA draft. 

It's almost a sure thing that Teague will make the true roster, no matter how well or poorly he plays in Las Vegas. Without a healthy Derrick Rose, Teague will earn a few minutes behind Kirk Hinrich and whoever else the Bulls wind up employing at point guard. 

He's quick and great on defense, even if he is still raw. Teague won't put up massive numbers during Summer League, so don't be disappointed when he doesn't. 

Malcolm Thomas

Last Played With: San Antonio Spurs

Position: PF

Experience: 1 year

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 0.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.3 steals

While I had to include Malcolm Thomas' most recent stats during his three-game stint with the San Antonio Spurs, it was only for posterity's sake as he spent a total of 15 minutes on the court. 

A more valuable look at Thomas' numbers would be from his final season with San Diego State, when he averaged 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. 

Thomas is a great athlete with long arms that allow him to swat shots away at all times. However, he's more of an athlete than a basketball player and still needs to improve both his mid-range jumper and his moves on the block if he's going to succeed offensively. 

This power forward will be good for at least one highlight during the upcoming stretch of games in Las Vegas, but he's not going to be good enough to make the real roster. 

Edwin Ubiles

Last Played With: Washington Wizards

Position: SG

Experience: 1 year

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 blocks

Edwin Ubiles is a smooth offensive player with a ridiculous amount of athleticism, but he wasn't able to carve out a big role on the Washington Wizards during his first year out of Siena. 

He spent 43 games in the D-League with the Dakota Kings—averaging 19.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.3 blocks per game—and four in The Association with the Wizards during the 2011-2012 season. 

With his hops and 6'10" wingspan, Ubiles has the tools necessary to become an NBA mainstay in the near future. 

If he can show the Bulls that his basketball I.Q. has risen significantly, there's an outside shot that he makes the team. I doubt it will happen, but there is a chance. 

Projected Lineup

Starting Point Guard: Marquis Teague

Starting Shooting Guard: Jimmy Butler

Starting Small Forward: Ramone Moore

Starting Power Forward: Jamie Skeen

Starting Center: Henry Sims

Sixth Man: Malcolm Thomas

Other Bench Players: Olek Czyz, Justin Johnson, Demetri McCamey, Leon Powe, Chase Simon, Jermaine Taylor, Edwin Ubiles